As many of you already know, 2024 is a Leap Year. These years come around every four years so we can “fix” the inherent flaws of the Julian Calendar.
The Julian Calendar was instituted in 46 B.C by none other than Julius Caesar. It is built on a model of the solar year being 365.25 days per year. So, we are faced with an extra day every four years. To “fix” this, Caesar (and later Pope Gregory VIII) devised an extra day, every four years, to get the system straight again. It is like grading on a curve.
Some old leap year traditions allow women to propose marriage to their beloved ONLY on Feb. 29. Every other day it remained the sole prerogative of the male suitor. (Like I said, old tradition). Some folks around the world see this day as good luck. Others are sure it is bad luck. (Like being the victim of a dive-bombing bird). So, Leap Year, like beauty itself, is truly in the eye of the beholder. To that end, I propose that we consider this year to be a fortuitous one for everybody.
With that behind us, what can we all do to bring about our positive luck this year? To go back to the Romans, they had a saying; “fortes fortuna juvat.” This is often translated as “Fortune favors the brave.” I tend to favor a more traditional translation; “Fate favors the bold.” A quick shout out to Ken Stoll, my Latin teacher of five years from eighth to 12th grade. Throughout history, the truth of this phrase has been proven time and time again.
In 2024, let us work together to bring favor to our mutual endeavors. Let us take a communal leap of faith. Let us do what can be life’s scariest activity. Let us all embrace change. Let us be bold.
But change for the sake of change is a waste of time. We need a vision of what our communities will look like after our hard work is completed. What will businesses, housing, infrastructure and the environment be like? No one should ever enter a race without a finish line. What we need is consensus and compromise, two ideals that have gone the way of the telegraph, penny candies and the silent movie. But who says we are incapable of resurrecting these concepts for the betterment of everyone? Not just you, but everyone.
The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce is honored to be part of numerous community discussions — from the weekly Tuesday morning coffee group at Green Earth, to Oneonta Common Council meetings, press conferences and Regional Innovation Council sessions. Many of these meetings bring forth substantive ideas. Some are just a complaint session. As a county, we need to get past complaining for complaining’s sake and move on. All of us.
2024 is a leap year. And we are going to make it a lucky one. Not by happenstance or serendipity. Not because we feel we are due. And not by doing the same old, same old we have repeated for decades. Together, we need to take a new path. A bold path to our future. We need to identify those here who are ready for our next step together. They can lead the way. Together, we must take a leap of faith.
The Otsego County Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to the betterment of this county. We favor business growth. Technological growth. Community growth. We believe that fate favors the bold. Do you?